Graduate Traineeship Program

The Graduate Traineeship Program is an Australian Market and Social Research Society initiative designed to encourage university graduates to consider a career in this dynamic and exciting industry. It was created to provide benefits for both employers and candidates, offering an employer the opportunity to recruit a graduate trainee into their company at the start of the calendar year.

The traineeships are open to recently qualified, enthusiastic, university graduates with a desire to commence a career in the research industry – in marketing research and/or social research. AMSRS identifies suitable candidates and interested employers and supports both, providing the trainee with access to AMSRS training courses and seminars over the course of the traineeship as well as AMSRS membership.

2018 Graduate Traineeship Program

Currently the program is only running in Victoria.

Applications for the 2018 Victorian Graduate Traineeship Program have now CLOSED for the traineeships commencing in January 2018, and running for 12 months.

Please note, your application does not guarantee your placement with an employer and all candidates go through a selection process. The key attributes for Trainees are to have passion, the curiosity factor and an interest in change. Our Trainees come from every discipline: Arts, Business, Marketing, Psychology, Stats and the Sciences etc.

All applicants must be Australian citizens or have permanent resident status.

to view a short video by young market and social researchers about their experience in the industry.

Why participate in the AMSRS traineeship program?

AMSRS provided me an opportunity to utilise my theoretical knowledge of market research and consumer analytics in the real world. The 2015 Graduate program opened a door for my career post university with a position at Philip Morris Limited. The 12-month contract enabled me to dive further into my career with the guidance of AMSRS and the amazing staff. The graduate program offered not only the opportunity to work with a reputable and multi-national company that boasts endless amount of experience and knowledge, but also provided guidance and additional resources through webinars, training experiences and social networking events. During the graduate program, I was given a spending voucher which I could use on any training resource I believed would be useful. This is one of the many benefits of the graduate program as it allowed me the possibility of learning more and networking without the worry of the fees associated with it.
If I had to sum up my experience with AMSRS it would include the words ‘amazing’, ‘life changing’, ‘great way to establish contacts’ and ‘the best way to get a job after uni’.

After completing my honours degree at Monash University, majoring in marketing and consumer behaviour, I also completed internships at the Australian Centre of Retail Studies and the Lab Strategy. I was very interested in pursuing a career in market research. I applied for the 2015 AMSRS Graduate Traineeship Program because it is a fantastic opportunity to get my foot in the door into an industry that is difficult to enter without any connections or prior experience.
Through the Graduate Traineeship Program, I was able to gain a position at Hall & Partners | Open Mind working across both qualitative and quantitative research disciplines. One of the best things about the Program is the ongoing support and professional development, which allows graduates to deepen their knowledge about the industry and practice. For me, the additional training has enriched my understanding and passion for market research and solving complex business problems and overall, given me a fantastic kick start to my career.

Lisa Do, 2015 Graduate Traineeship Program Participant

Brief history of the traineeship program

The Traineeship Program was established in 1986 and has operated very successfully in Victoria since 1991. The Traineeship Program was originally launched to help employers attract suitably qualified candidates and to address some of the challenges facing the industry at that time, such as:

the curtailment of ‘cadetships' by employers

growth of the industry leading to greater demand for candidates

a desire to provide practical training and raise standards as a result

The Program has been a great success with over forty university graduates being provided with the unique opportunity of being trained as executives in the market research industry. All but a couple of the original trainees are still working in a research related area. We are very proud of this result.

What is the traineeship program?

The Traineeship Program is a 10-12 month career placement, beginning each January/February.

AMSRS:

promotes the Program to interested candidates and invites applications

promotes the Program to interested employers and maintains a register of interested employers

screens the candidates to select a shortlist (via assessment of written applications and interviews)

puts the shortlisted candidates in touch with the interested employers

monitors the whole selection process to ensure positive outcomes

is available for advice to candidates and employers

provides access for candidates to AMSRS training courses and seminars

monitors the progress of trainees and gathers feedback

The successful candidates have the opportunity to work within a market or social research company during their Traineeship, in addition to receiving structured training and development.

Employers who take on a trainee are expected to facilitate structured training and development and provide a mentor for the trainee for the duration of their Traineeship.

Placement in a research company

During the trainee's placement with a market or social research company, the successful candidate will become familiar with a variety of techniques used in the collection and analysis of research data and develop their proficiency in the use and interpretation of research data. Depending on the organisation they join, trainees may gain insight into a broader range of research planning, research management, and consultancy disciplines.

Ideally, the successful candidate will be able to follow a project from its inception or briefing by the client to the final report to the client. Naturally, the confidentiality of the client will always be respected.

Specifically, trainees will be exposed to all the stages of the research process. Briefly these are:

obtaining agreement with the commissioning client on the purpose of the research

translating the research purpose into specific research objectives

designing the research study. This involves both the selection of research approach (e.g. secondary or primary research; qualitative or quantitative research) and the specification of aspects of the study such as survey type, questionnaire and sampling plan

participating in the field research

analysing the data and preparing the report

More specifically, the subject areas a successful candidate is likely to cover during the course of their Traineeship are as follows :

the role of research in decision-making

sources of existing information

writing a proposal

the functions of qualitative, quantitative and experimental research

defining the research problem and selecting a research design

calculating time and cost estimates

sample selection

questionnaire construction

testing and pilot questionnaires

fieldwork, including writing field instructions, briefing interviewers and conducting field interviews

depth interviews and group discussions, including viewing or conducting groups, analysis of transcripts and the use/discussion of various techniques

coding and data entry

setting up an analysis plan

an overview of analytical computer techniques

handling computer output

analysis of data and report writing

presentation techniques and skills

The above areas will be covered to the extent possible and practical, depending upon the assignments being undertaken by the sponsor at the time of the successful candidate's employment.

Placement in a research department ‘client-side'

Client-side employers/commissioners of research are encouraged to participate in the Program and a placement in the research department of an experienced ‘research buyer' will provide the trainee with insight into all key aspects of research. While a client-side placement may differ in the coverage of all aspects in the above list, it will provide an extremely valuable in-house training experience. Client-side placement also provides trainees with opportunities to attend AMSRS courses and to have contact with research agencies the client uses to fulfil its research needs.